The roster changeover during the 2024 offseason could become a tidal wave in 2025 should the season go south for the Seattle Seahawks. Much of the problem next offseason is that Seattle already has cap issues. Some players will likely be forced to leave.
Those players, of course, could make the decision to move on from them much tougher should they have fantastic seasons. Their individual success should lead to team success. If Seattle exceeds expectations in 2024 under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks are probably going to want to keep most of the band together.
Some of the players that follow will be free agents next offseason, but not all of them. While they might still be under contract with Seattle, should they not have great seasons, general manager John Schneider might decide to give another - less expensive - player a chance. In at least one case, a fan favorite needs to prove he should stick around.
Julian Love - Seattle Seahawks safety
Love made the Pro Bowl in 2023 even though he was underused. He might have gotten used to that in his career as he did not become a full-time starter until his final season with the New York Giants in 2022. He signed a two-year deal with Seattle last offseason and started 12 games. He might not have started much at all except that Jamal Adams was oft-injured once again.
Seattle was better with Love on the field than Adams as the team allowed a touchdown less a game in games when Love played more than 41 percent of the snaps. Why the defensive improvement with Love instead of Adams did not dawn on the Seahawks' coaching staff until Week 14 is anyone's guess. It is also another reason Seattle needed to move on from former head coach Pete Carroll.
Love's cap hit in 2024 is $8,090,000. If he makes the Pro Bowl again this season, and he could be even better under the direction of new head coach Mike Macdonald, then Love and his agent will make the argument he is a top-10 safety. Based on an average contract, all of the top ten safeties make at least $12 million a season. This could be the starting point for negotiations to re-sign Love next offseason.
Tyler Lockett - Seahawks wide receiver
Lockett, of course, is the fan favorite I mentioned earlier. He has turned into one of the best receivers in Seahawks history, and while he is a great football player, he is an even better person. Plus, he has ties to the team away from the field as his real estate group is the official realtor of the franchise. Plus, seeing Lockett in a different team's uniform would just be wrong.
In 2025, however, Seattle is projected to already be negative-$18,008,835 in cap room. Changes will need to be made. Lockett's willingness to rework his contract this offseason might have implied he understands his time is almost done playing for the Seahawks. He gave up more maximum money for more guaranteed money in 2024.
A couple of games into the 2025 season, Lockett will turn 33 years old. That is relatively ancient for a small receiver in the league who relies on quickness to get open. Lockett seemed less physical last year, and he might be less so this season.
He probably needs to have a season where he catches 90 passes to earn the massive $30,895,000 cap hit he has in 2025. Otherwise, he is likely going to be a cut candidate next year.
Uchenna Nwosu - Seahawks edge rusher
In Nwosu's first season with the Seahawks in 2022, he set career highs in sacks (9.5), tackles for loss (12), and quarterback hits (26). He might have matched those numbers in 2023, but he tore a pec muscle in Week 7 and had to miss the rest of the season. Once he was out, Seattle's defense digressed horribly.
There is little doubt as to the value Nwosu can supply to the Seattle defense. He sets a hard edge against the run, and he can get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Other edge rushers either do one thing somewhat well (Darrell Taylor can pressure quarterbacks), or are still inconsistent (Boye Mafe).
Nwosu cap hot balloons from just under $8 million in 2024 to $21,498,333 in 2025. Should Seattle decide to release the edge rusher, the team would save $8,481,666 next offseason. For a team tight against the cap, that would be a chunk of savings. Nwosu is probably too good to get rid of, however.
Tyrel Dodson - Seahawks linebacker
Seattle is placing a lot of faith in Dodson as he will be Mike Macdonald's coach on the field. The 2024 free agent signee will be the green dot on the defense and tasked with replacing the production and leader of Bobby Wagner. Dodson probably won't get as many tackles as Wagner - Macdonald's defense is designed differently than Pete Carroll's was so the linebackers don't need to tackle as much - but Dodson needs to be as efficient.
Dodson did not start much in his first three years, and he only started in 2024 due to other linebacker injuries on his Buffalo Bills team. He appeared to be great in pass coverage and could be used on blitzes, but can he replicate his 2023 success with Seattle for a full season? No one really knows.
He should be a great fit in Macdonald's scheme, though, and he could develop into a Pro Bowl. His one-year contract with Seattle is relatively cheap, at least compared to other linebackers in the NFL. He has a cap hit of $4,260,000. Should he have the best season of his career this year, he could see that number rise to $10 million or more in 2025.
Geno Smith - Seahawks quarterback
This is a make-or-break season for Geno Smith. He has proven to be worthy of being a starting quarterback in the league, but he will be faced with learning a new offense for the first time since becoming the Seahawks' starter. If Smith struggles at the beginning of the season, Seattle could decide to let backup Sam Howell have a go at being QB1.
Financially speaking, Howell is the much better option beyond 2024. Both Smith and Howell are signed through 2025, but releasing Smith would save the team around $25 million next offseason. That number in itself is more than enough to put Seattle back into positive territory in cap space. Howell only cost the team a bit over $1 million next year.
If Smith has another good year, and potentially a great one under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, then he should make a lot of money in 2025. His cap hit jumps from $26.4 million this season to $38.5 million next year. If he plays well, he will have earned his contract.